


Flying Blind

by theflyingdalek



Category: Skyfall (2012) - Fandom
Genre: 00Q - Freeform, Fear of Flying, M/M, adorableness, but i had to, im sorry, the inevitable plane fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-11-27
Updated: 2012-12-01
Packaged: 2017-11-19 16:15:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,713
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/575179
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theflyingdalek/pseuds/theflyingdalek
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>If Bond hadn't had to have antagonized the guy shooting at him, Bond would have completed the mission easily and quickly. So Bond would not have a large cut across his palm which now prevents him from opening a door which Q had specifically programmed to Bond's palm print. Of course, now it is too late to reprogram the entire system, so Q has to fly to Glasgow with Bond to hack on site. Q has to <i>fly</i>. He is going to KILL Bond.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Losing your legs

It is really all Bond's fault in the first place. 

To tell the truth, it is almost always Bond's fault.

This time, Bond screwed up a big mission, and now needed backup. Not just any backup. He needed Q to be onsite and hack a lock. A very unhackable lock.

"You would be so screwed without me", Q growls at the offending agent.  
"Well I'm very lucky that you're here then, aren't I?", Bond replies blithely, grabbing Q's coat from the back of Q's office chair.

If Bond hadn't had to have antagonized the guy shooting at him, Bond would have completed the mission easily and quickly. Bond would not have a large cut across his palm which now prevents him from opening a door which Q had specifically programmed to Bond's palm print. Of course, now it is too late to reprogram the entire system, so Q has to fly to Glasgow with Bond to hack on site.

Suffice to say, Q hates Bond. Q also hates how Bond seems to get away with anything. 

Q hasn't gotten on a plane in four years. Ever since he weaned himself off of his staggering Ativan addiction all that time ago, he hasn't even let himself get within two miles of an airport. And now he was actually getting on an airplane. For Bond.

"You're not nervous are you?"

Speak of the devil. Bond sidles up behind Q and drops a hand on Q's shoulder in a move which to the outsider seems comforting, but Q knows that Bond is doing it just to annoy him. Q shakes the shoulder off and turns around to glare at the agent who is responsible for his pain.

"I. Hate. You.", Q grits out.

"Glad to hear it", Bond replies blithely, turning on his heel. "Come on, takeoff is in thirty minutes. I can't believe we're flying private. MI6 hasn't sprung for a private jet in ages. They must really like you."

Q tries to follow. He really does, but his feet suddenly decide that they aren't going to move. Q looks down at his feet and whispers angrily.

"Move, damn it!"

His feet don't listen to him. 

"Q?", Bond calls and turns around when he realizes that his Quartermaster is not following him.

Q tries incredibly hard not to flush with embarrassment. He thinks that he does a very good job.

"You're _really_ afraid of flying, aren't you?", Bond says in a much softer voice than he usually uses. 

Q doesn't like this voice. This is the kind of voice that Bond uses when he is talking to a target, or a victim. There are two Ativan pills in his back pocket. Screw the addiction, Q isn't going to get on the plane without taking them first. Q slips his hand into his pocket and pulls out the tiny white pills. He is about to pop them into his mouth when Bond grabs his hand and clucks.

"No use getting back on those when you've been doing so well."

Q wonders how Bond knows about his addiction, but then remembers who he is dealing with. James Bond probably knows all of the deep dark secrets of the employees of MI6. He suddenly worries that Bond is going to make him throw the pills away. People always do that. They don't get it. They don't understand. What if something terrible happens and he _needs_ them? 

As if to answer Q's unspoken question, Bond deftly takes the two pills from Q's palm and puts them in his own pocket.

"See?", he says, "If things get bad enough on the plane, I'll let you have them. But let's try this my way first, okay?"

Q stares at Bond and then stares at Bond's pocket. He keeps staring before he realizes that he is staring at Bond's ass, and then he blushes and looks away. Bond notices and chuckles softly.

"Didn't know you were the bashful type, Q."

"Oh really? Well I definitely knew that you were irritating and cocky", Q grumbles.

"There we go!", Bond laughs, "There's a start."

Then James Bond reaches over and takes Q's hand. Q is still frozen in place, but he looks down at the hand holding his, and then looks up at James Bond's slightly smiling face.

"I will not be treated like a child, double-oh seven", Q protests.

"This is not how I treat children", Bond whispers, and leans over and kisses Q squarely on the mouth.

It is a light kiss, but it is enough to get Q to stumble forward for more when Bond pulls away.

"See?", Bond snickers, "You've got your legs back."

"You...", Q growls angrily, and he definitely wants to hit Bond in the face right now, maybe with his own face, but Bond just leans over and kisses him once more.

"Come on, we're going to miss the flight."


	2. Fastening the seatbelt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Fear isn't something to be embarrassed about.", Bond says lightly.  
> "Like you would know"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is not as cheerful as the last chapter, but no worries, there will be a happy ending!

Bond had gotten Q to sit down securely in the plane seat. They still had a while before takeoff, but Q had already buckled and unbuckled his seatbelt at least four times. But now, his attention seemed to be diverted to glancing between the still open airplane hatch and Bond.

"If you try to leave right now, I won't stop you", Bond says quietly.

Q's eyes widen, but he stays seated. Bond doesn't miss the fact that Q's knuckles are white from gripping the armrests so tightly.

The plane hatch swings shut, and Q flinches noticeably.

On the plane, there are only the pilot, a security guard, Bond and Q.

The pilot is busy in the cockpit, and luckily, the guard is professional enough to be very deliberately _not_ looking at Bond or Q. 

Bond takes one last glance at the slightly trembling Q, and stands up to walk over to the small refridgerator in the back of the jet. He pulls the door open and looks at the contents inside. Bond settles on the champagne. He grabs two champage flutes from the cabinet above and stalks back to his seat facing Q. Bond uncorks the bottle and fills the two chutes until they are nearly overflowing. His former MI6 ettiquite teacher was rolling in her grave. 

"I know what you are doing, 007", Q voices, still finding a way to sound petulant even when his voice is clearly shaky.

"What am I doing", Bond asks with a smile.

"Ativan is not supposed to be taken with alcohol", Q recites. "You're trying to trick me into a state in which I cannot take my meds", Q accuses, but even as he says it, Q takes a small sip of the champagne.

Bond raises his eyebrows. Sometimes he forgets how perceptive and all around clever Q is. Either that, or Q has spent way too much time with addiction specialists. It was probably both

"Or maybe I'm just trying to get you drunk", Bond murmurs with a smirk.

Q glares at Bond and then at the champagne. He takes another small sip. Bond doesn't touch his own though. He has a rule about drinking out of the same bottle as the person he is supposed to be protecting. It wouldn't do Q any good if Bond was drugged alongside him. Not that Bond was really worried about the champagne being spiked, since M had upped security protocols lately, but it was always nice to be safe.

The plane whirs alive, and Q shuts his eyes. He is gripping the champagne flute so tightly that Bond is nervous that it might shatter. Bond leans over to pry the glass out of Q's hand and sets it safely on the table next to his own.

"I'd rather you not look at me right now, Mr. Bond", Q says through gritted teeth. His eyes are still closed.

"Why would I deprive myself of the view, Q?", Bond returns.

"You know why."

"Maybe I don't."

"You're going to make me spell this out, aren't you?"

Bond remains quiet in a way that he _knows_ will irritate Q into talking.

"Fine", Q grouches, "I am embarrassed by my fear."

"Fear isn't something to be embarrassed about.", Bond says lightly.

"Like you would know", Q grumbles and then crosses his arms, clearly deciding that he is not going to speak for a while. It would probably be best since the Quartermaster seems to be turning slightly green.

Bond snorts to himself. _Like you would know_. Q must really be naive to think that double oh agents didn't fear. Of course, there was endless amounts of conditioning when Bond was recruited into MI6, to get rid of all of the easy fears: spiders, heights, enclosed spaces, but the big fears never went away. And learning to suppress those big fears while being in the field just meant that when an agent ended up being afraid, the effects were quadrupled.

Bond has plenty of not-so-fond memories of puking into toilet bowls after being forced to look at pictures of his parents' dead bodies, or shaking uncontrollably after being enclosed in a Sense-Free room for three days. 

It is even worse when it is the little fears that get him. The fear of multitudes of tiny holes, for one, left him hyperventilating in a bathroom for ten minutes in the middle of a mission before. 

So Bond is not a stranger to fear interfering with his life. He could probably be considered close friends with it. 

Bond takes the two white pills out of his pocket and walks over to where the refrigerator is. There is a small cabinet counter. Bond sets the pills carefully on the counter where he knows they will not slide off, even if there is turbulence (which he _really_ hopes won't happen, because he is not sure that Q can handle it).

Q opens one of his eyes at the noise, and glances up at the pills.

"The pills are there", Bond states. "You're free to get them whenever you want. I'll even get them for you. But just give yourself a chance first, okay?"

Q nods tightly, without taking his eyes off of the pills. His arms are still wound tightly around himself. 

Other than an incredibly nervous Q, everything else seems to be in order for a relatively calm flight to Scotland. 

Just when that thought goes through Bond's mind, everything goes to shit. 

Of course everything goes to shit, Bond thinks, this is my life.

And by "everything goes to shit", I mean that the airplane jerks violently and then the oh-so-incredibly-perfect guard turns around with two guns in his hands and points them at Q.

"Bond, don't you dare move", the guard growls, "I'm taking the little computer genius with me."

Q, who is stunned still, has changed his position back to gripping the armrests. He is now visibly shaking in his seat, but Bond is pretty sure that it has more to do with the airplane movement than the kidnapping. 

"Undo your seat belt and come over here", the guard commands.

Q doesn't move. 

"He is afraid of flying", Bond explains.

Q is so terrified that he doesn't even look up to glare at Bond.

"Let me give him his medication, and then he can go with you", Bond soothes the guard.

The guard nods, guns still pointed at Q, and Bond sidles over to where he left the pills on the counter. He picks them up and walks back to Q's seat. Bond kneels in front of Q and takes Q by the hand.

"You can take it now, if you want", Bond whispers.

Q shakes his head once, but takes the pills in his hand. Bond unbuckles Q's seatbelt and gingerly leads him back to the guard. Making sure that Q is safely blocked by his own body, Bond jumps up and kicks the guard's hands. One of the guns drops, and Bond quickly rolls over to grab it, and shots the guard three times. 

The guard hadn't even re-secured his grip on his remaining gun.

Bond turns around to check on Q's status. Q is standing stock still, eyes wide, and palms empty. He had taken the pills. 

At least he was no longer shaking.

"Four fucking years", Q spits spitefully.

"Actually it was 1497 days", Bond says quietly. "And tomorrow it will be 1498."

Q looks up at Bond sharply. 

"What do you mean?"

Bond reaches into his back pocket and produces the two Ativan pills that he had taken from Q.

"But", Q protests, "I had taken..."

Bond doesn't even need to say anything for the penny to drop.

"You gave me sugar pills", Q concludes tiredly.

Q turns around and goes back to his seat. He buckles his seat belt. He doesn't say a word.

Contrary to what the world believes, Bond _does_ know when someone doesn't want to talk, and sometimes, just sometimes, he will do them a favor and leave them alone.


	3. An awkward check in

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Q is angry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise a happy ending?

Q doesn't say anything except when spoken to while Bond leads them to the ostentatious hotel that MI6 has booked for them. He is too furious at the agent. Of all the gall!

It was embarrassing enough for Bond to see him flip out about the airplane, but then Bond has to go and try to fix him. It took Q all the self control that he had to not clearly and constantly glare at Bond while they checked in to the hotel.

They were supposed to be playing lovers, so they could share a room and Bond could keep a better eye on him. It had not seemed like a problem until now, when Bond has decided to put his hand on the small of Q's back, and Q decides that he would very much like to punch the agent in his face.

But Q is a professional, and he cannot publicly glower right now. He must play the spy game along with the agents this time, so as Bond leads him through the hotel hallway, Q pushes the agent against the wall and kisses him harshly. It is not at all like the kiss that Bond gave him before the airplane. This one is angry and unbending. There is no promise for something better later. This kiss is a message. When Q pulls back, he is happy to see that Bond looks stunned and a little bit sad.

Q grabs Bond by the hand and drags him down the hall and into their room. When the door slams shut, he promptly lets go of Bond's hand, pulls his laptop out of his carry on bag and sits down on the bed and begins to work.

Q isn't really working. Well not on the current mission, anyway. There isn't anything he can do until Bond gets into that building with the equipment. Instead, Q is hacking. Q tends to hack when he is frustrated. Contrary to popular belief, he never gets in trouble for it, even when M knows. M is a very understanding man, who seems to get that when working with James Bond, one needs an outlet.

Bond is still standing next to the doorway and just watches Q. Q knows that he is being watched, but very obviously does not look away from his screen, and just types faster. After a few minutes, Bond gives up and drops his bags as well. He goes into the bathroom and starts the shower. Q finally spares a glance in Bond's direction. Bond has left the bathroom door open while he is showering.

Q can't tell whether if the action is meant as a safety precaution, so that Bond can keep an eye on Q, or as an invitation. At this point, Q doesn't even care. He just looks back at his computer and keeps typing. 

Ten minutes later, Bond comes out of the bathroom in just a towel. Q doesn't look up, he can see perfectly well with his peripheral vision. Bond doesn't say anything as he slips into boxers and then into the bed next to Q. Of course they would have to share a bed. 

Q doesn't make a move to turn off the light or even dim his incredibly bright computer screen, but Bond doesn't seem to mind, as the agent falls asleep in a matter of minutes.


	4. Maybe Someday

James Bond wakes up very suddenly. He doesn't panic at the sight of a new environment, he is used to changes. His heart does beat a bit faster when he sees his Quartermaster conked out next to him, glasses still on his face and laptop still in his lap.

Bond gets up as quietly as he can and checks the room for intruders. He peeks through a crack in the curtains, but then pulls them shut quickly as to not wake Q.

Bond sighs and looks at his Quartermaster slightly tangled in the bed sheets. Was Q still mad at him? Probably. Bond was just trying to help, and Bond actually did help. What bothered Bond was that Bond cared at all. Q was just his Quartermaster, and Bond had spent a good deal of his time antagonizing his quartermasters in the past and not caring about it at all. What was different about this one? And why did Bond even care if Q got over his addiction. It wasn't something that would affect him on the field. Not really.

To tell the truth, Bond knows exactly why he cares so much about Q's well being. It has happened before. Contrary to popular belief, Bond actually does have a heart, and although he is not one to care about people easily, he does still care sometimes. It may be a rare occurrence, but as long as it is still happening, Bond can still consider himself human.

Someone raps lightly on the door, and Bond answers to tell a startled bellboy to go away, but it is too late. Bond can hear Q shifting in bed. James turns around to see if Q is finally going to wake up.

Q looks up at the agents and frowns.

So Q is still upset. Fine then. Two can play at that game. The rest of the mission goes off without a hitch. They don't banter over the com, and they only speak to each other in short, clipped tones. 

Q takes a tranquilizer before he boards the plane and sleeps the entire way there.

When they report to MI6 to debrief, they can both tell that the gossip mill has been going at it, since everyone they walk by drop their voices to whispers immediately. Bond wants to stand up on a  
podium and calmly announce to everyone that nothing at all has happened, but he knows better. That is exactly the kind of thing that sparks even worse rumors. So they keep their heads down, and after the debriefing, they go their separate ways. Bond to a bar, and Q to his flat.

That is, until Bond gets sufficiently drunk enough to think that it is a brilliant idea to break into Q's flat and confront him. 

Bond should be a bit offended that Q isn't startled by his presence at all, but just looks up warily.

"What do you want, 007?"  
"I want you to tell me what I did wrong", Bond answers much more calmly than he feels.

Q's eyes flash angrily, and he slowly closes the laptop that he has been typing on. The Quartermaster stands up and walks over to Bond. The agent has to stifle a laugh because he has to give it to  
Q, most men wouldn't have the balls to walk up to a double-oh agent like that. But then again, Q isn't most men.

"I am done with people treating me like a child", Q growls.

Bond isn't really surprised by the statement.

"My entire life, people have been telling me what to do. What to study. What activities I have to give up. It's no wonder that I ended up with panic...", Q's voice trails off, as if suddenly he realzies that he admitted he has panic.

Bond stares expectantly back, and Q blanches a little. He shifts his weight back to his heels, and then regains his confidence to go on.

"I am tired of being tricked and manipulated", he states firmly. "So what if I'm broken? Who says that I need to be fixed?"

As soon as the words leave his mouth, Q looks so deflated that Bond is nervous he is going to crumple to the ground. But the Quartermaster is made of stronger stuff than that. Q stumbles a little  
as he heads into the kitchenette. With shaking hands, he fills the kettle and sets it on the burner. Bond's hands itch to help him, but Bond knows that Q wants to do it by himself.

"I'm sorry", Bond whispers, so quietly that he knows that Q will always wonder if he really heard it. That in itself makes Bond smile a little to himself, he doesn't let those words pass his lips very often. He knows it as well as Q does.

Q looks up from the kettle sharply, his angry eyes softening a bit. Q huffs a startled laugh.

"Thank you for the effort, Bond."

So maybe Q knows James a little better than he had expected.

"You're welcome to stay if you'd like", Q whispers teasingly, exactly just as softly as Bond had apologized.

The agent is pressed against Q's body as soon as he hears the words and presses a soft kiss to Q's neck. Q smiles, but softly pushes Bond away. 

"Not tonight, if you don't mind", Q says, and Bond knows that it is a test.

It doesn't matter, because even if it wasn't a test, Bond wouldn't have pressed it. Contrary to what Q thinks, Bond really understands what it is like to fear. He knows what it is like to be told what to do. He knows that it feels like to be manipulated, and he knows what it feels like to feel betrayed. 

As Bond curls up on Q's couch to get some sleep he thinks that maybe someday he will tell Q what he knows about being afraid. Not tonight, but maybe someday.


End file.
